A suspected cybercriminal has been taken into custody by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly purchasing bank account details from unsuspecting individuals to aid fraudulent activities.
In a statement released on Monday, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, disclosed that the suspect, identified as Olawole Sunday, reportedly recruited young individuals to open multiple bank accounts. According to Oyewale, Sunday paid each person between N25,000 and N50,000 in exchange for their full banking information, including ATM cards.
Sunday’s arrest stemmed from a case involving the use of another person’s account to carry out a N2 million scam. He allegedly used the account information of one Uyi Eghosa to defraud a victim under the false claim of being involved in foreign exchange trading.
Eghosa was initially apprehended after his account was linked to the fraudulent transaction. However, during interrogation, he denied knowing anything about the scam.
He told investigators that he gave Sunday his ATM card and bank account information in exchange for N25,000.
In the words of the EFCC spokesman: “Operatives of the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested one Olawole Sunday, a suspected fraudster who specialised in buying bank accounts’ details from individuals with which he defrauds unsuspecting members of the public.
“Sunday’s modus operandi involved encouraging young people to open multiple bank accounts, pay them either N25,000 or N50,000 for each account and collect their bank details, including Automated Teller Machine cards.
“Sunday allegedly employed the account details of one Uyi Eghosa to defraud a petitioner of the sum of N2 million under the guise of trading in forex. The account owner, Eghosa, was arrested, and his disclosure that he was unaware that his account was used in defrauding members of the public led to Sunday’s arrest.”
Oyewale added that Sunday confessed to the allegations and will be formally charged once investigations are concluded.
